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Delmarva Folklife Project: Interview with Edith Maddox & Sam Maddox, 14 August 1998

by: Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Delmarva Folklife Project

Publication date: 1998-08-14
Usage: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
Topics: Delmarva Folklife Project, Tyaskin (md.), water work, watermen, female watermen, World War II
Language: English
Item Size: 220.0M

This interview was conducted by Kelly Feltault with Edith and Sam Maddox in Tyaskin, MD. In this interview, they talk about their life and the changes they've seen in the area over time. They begin by speaking about the cultural importance of sassafras root and how they make sassafras tea and other home remedies. Edith talks about her younger life in Whitehaven, remembering the work that people did including "tonging" in the winter and working in canneries in the summer. She also speaks about moving north during WWII and working as a riveter in an airplane factory. They both speak about changes in the area, noting the closing of important factories and lack of younger workers on farms.

In part 2, they continue their description of life around Tyaskin and Whitehaven and the changes they've seen. They talk about the security of life, leaving doors unlocked, and the close relationship of communities when they were younger. They also talk about work increased security during World War II, both at the factories where Edith riveted planes and at home where they had to black out windows. Edith also describes some of the entertainment in those days, including the Worlds' Fair in NY and Coney Island, and the different acts and shows that could be seen. Sam talks more about work in the area including oyster dredging and farming, as well as the challenges those industries had been facing at that time.

This interview is part of the Delmarva Folklife Project. For more information, see the Edward H. Nabb Center finding aid:

http://libapps.salisbury.edu/nabb-archives/local-history-archives/2003.004